Slashdot | Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Rumors: "'The actor who played Chewbacca in the original Star Wars trilogy, Peter Mayhew, will be in Episode III. Of course, this has been previously reported and comes as no surprise. However, TheForce is reporting that Mayhew's contract contains a stipulation that he must also appear in Episodes 7, 8, and 9."

Pardon me for getting non-political for a moment...this is very exciting news and confirms a rumor that circulated back even during the first trilogy -- that Star Wars was eventually going to be a 9-film set...in three trilogies.